We need truth, justice and transparency. This report is only the start of that process
Whistleblower on council’s protection of abusive social worker
The report exposing how Edinburgh Council ignored claims of serious abuse against a senior social worker must be followed by another wide-ranging inquiry, according to a whistleblower.
Jonathan Stanners, a former social work manager, claims to have been driven out of his job after accusing his colleague, Sean Bell, of threatening, abusive behaviour towards himself and another colleague.
He says he lost his job and suffered a breakdown after raising concerns that were ignored by Bell’s bosses in what an inquiry report described as an “old boys’ network”.
Bell, 59, was facing criminal charges when he took his own life in 2020 and the report by Susanne Tanner QC found he was protected by senior colleagues at the council. The authority has apologised to Bell’s victims while councillors have accepted a raft of recommendations made after a year-long inquiry led by Tanner.
Stanners, a former manager of the social work department’s immigration and asylum support team, has told how he was forced to quit his job after raising concerns about Bell’s behaviour in 2011. He submitted evidence to the inquiry in support of his claims and said police had been preparing to charge Bell with threatening and abusive behaviour before he was found dead.
Stanners called for the inquiry to be extended to take in allegations he made that Bell had manipulated council budgets and recruitment processes. The 58-yearold said that after he made the claims against Bell he suffered a breakdown and had to leave his post in 2014.
“After questions were raised about what Bell was doing, he threatened to have my job,” Stanners said. “After that, funding was withdrawn for my department which effectively deleted my post.
“I had been off work ill for more than a year because of the stress of this and I was mentally and physically broken. I was diagnosed as having PTSD by my GP.
“I had lost three stones and had become a shadow of the man I was and that I now am again.”
Stanners, who now works as a documentary film producer, said he felt badly let down by council bosses who he believes failed to properly investigate his initial claims about Bell. He said: “Naively, I thought my concerns and evidence would be believed but they weren’t.”
The inquiry found Bell’s verbal, physical and sexual abuse was an open secret at the council for many years but he was protected by managers. At least three witnesses were repeatedly sexually assaulted by him.
His former wife gave up anonymity to speak out last week and tell The Post how Bell’s physical and sexual abuse had been raised with the council but nothing was done.
The report recommended reform of the council’s system of investigating complaints of sexual and physical abuse. A parallel investigation led by Tanner into the wider organisational culture of the council is ongoing.
Stanners welcomed the report’s recommendations but believes the actions of other senior figures need to be investigated. “My motivation from the outset has been for truth and justice against what I witnessed to be a toxic culture of systemic abuses in City of Edinburgh Council,” he said.
“The scope of the inquiry needs to be widened and I don’t intend to stop until full transparency is achieved.”
When we asked Edinburgh City Council to respond to the call for the inquiry to look into allegations Stanner made at the time concerning misuse of public funds and questionable recruitment practices by Bell, it said further investigations were under review, adding: “It was agreed by councillors the chief executive will bring a report on these issues to the next meeting at the end of this month so they can discuss and decide if any further action is required.”